Saturday, August 29, 2009

BEYOND THE HIGH WATER MARK




Historical Marker, Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg, PA


The 48th Georgia at Gettysburg

Of all the places I have been, one place stands out above all the others. Last summer I had the privilege to go to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was a hot summer afternoon, just like those three days in July of 1863. Monuments, mostly dedicated to Union forces, are everywhere. Each corner of the battlefield has its own name. Little Round Top, The Devil's Den, The Peach Orchard, The Wheatfield, and Cemetery Ridge are names that live in infamy. It was a deeply moving experience to walk the one mile from Seminary Ridge to Cemetery Ridge. One hundred and thirty four years ago, thousands of men walked that path, over half of them never made it back. For me and many others, Gettysburg holds a special significance in our lives.


I had no ancestors at the battle. There was one man there that day by the name of David Douglas. David was shot in the leg while moving toward the town on the 1st day of the battle. He died in a prison camp several months later. Nearly a year later, an 18 year boy, Arch Woods, joined the same Emanuel County company, virtually taking the place of Pvt. Douglas. After the war, Woods returned home and married Douglas' widow. As a result of that marriage and several others, I came into this world. As with my other people, my existence in this world was a result of those horrific days in July of 1863. It is truly mind boggling to think your being on earth may have depended on one shot out of millions.





Photo of Wright's Brigade Marker, Spangler's Woods,
Gettysburg, from "Virtual Gettysburg" by
Stephen Recker, http://www.virtualgettysburg.com/



On the second day of the battles, Robert E. Lee launched an all out attack on the Federal positions from Little Round Top to Cemetery Ridge. Each division attacked in order from south to north. Late in the afternoon, the order came for A.R. Wright's brigade to attack the Federal positions on Cemetery Ridge. The brigade commander was a Louisville born attorney, whose brigade consisted of four Georgia Regiments, including the 48th Georgia.


The 48th Georgia included companies from Jefferson Co., "The Jefferson Volunteers"; Johnson Co., "The Battleground Guards; Twiggs Co., "The Slappey Guards"; and Emanuel Co., "The McLeod Volunteers." Several Laurens County residents were members of the Battleground Guards. The 48th Georgia were a part of R.H. Anderson's Division of A.P. Hill's Corps.


At 6:30, Anderson sent his three remaining brigades to attack the center of Cemetery Ridge. Wright's men were deployed from left to right: 48th Georgia, 3rd Georgia, and 22nd Georgia. The 2nd Georgia was deployed in front as skirmishers. A few hundred yards away on the Bliss farm, four New Jersey companies were in position. Wright with his sixteen hundred Georgians began the attack in a quick step march across a mile-wide open field toward a small dip in the terrain. The advance went smoothly until the men came within musket range of the Emmitsburg Road. There they encountered a strong body of infantry behind a fence. The skirmishers from the 2nd Ga. were preparing the way. The battle line moved rapidly toward the ridge. Wright later recalled "We were in a hot place, and looking to my left through the smoke, I perceived that neither Posey nor Mahone had advanced and that my left was totally unprotected." Wright sent a courier to Gen. Anderson, who replied "both Posey and Mahone had been ordered in and that he would reiterate the order." As Wright passed the Bliss' yard, only a portion of Posey's men were in support of his attack. After a brief and furious fight at the Emmitsburg Road, Wright's right wing passed the Cordori House with little resistance. With half of their advance forces down and both of his flanks turned, the Federals pulled back.


The attack was directed toward a battery between a small clump of trees and Ziegler's Grove on the ridge to north. Wright's brigade, stretching four hundred yards wide, would just fit in between the trees and the grove. The six Napoleon cannons of Brown's Rhode Island Battery pounded Wright with case shot and then canisters. Wright's men routed the Federals from their second line of defense, a stone wall which would later come to be known as the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy. The Rhode Island Battery moved further up the hill under pressure from Posey's 19th Mississippi. The 48th attacked Gibbon's lines in hand to hand fighting. With well directed fire, Wright's men drove the cannoneers from their guns. As Wright's men captured the Napoleons of the Rhode Island Battery, they were suddenly pelted with canister and small arms fire from a ridge, one hundred yards away.


The Georgians jumped the stone wall and rushed to stand at the crest of the ridge. With an irresistible charge, they swept the Federal infantry from the ridge into a gorge beyond. The men were jubilant. The point where they stood would be the objective of Lee's attack the following day. Wright again requested support. The help they prayed for never came. Posey was stuck in the field to the north. For some unknown reason Mahone would not budge his brigade from Seminary Ridge - despite the repeated urging of Gen. Anderson.




Gen. Ambrose Ransom Wright, C.S.A.


The 69th Pennsylvania counterattacked on Wrights’ front. Wright's men suffered three effective volleys upon their unprotected flanks. Wright reported that the enemy was closing in. With no sign of support, the 48th retreated from the ridge. The Federals launched a bayonet charge and severe artillery attack.

The retreat continued under artillery fire from Cemetery Ridge. The 106th Pennsylvania, under Gen. Abner Doubleday, the fictional inventor of baseball, caught up with the 48th Georgia just before they reached the Emmitsburg Road. Col. William Gibson and several other officers including Capt. Thomas Kent of Johnson County were captured. After an hour or so it was all over. Nearly one half of the brigade lay dead, were wounded, or were captured.

The 48th Georgia's advance was the closest Lee's men came to cutting the Federal center at Gettysburg. Wright's men are often ignored in the history books for their accomplishments. They went further than any Confederate brigade at Gettysburg. A lone marker in front of the stone wall marks their historic feats of courage in their valiant charge at the point where the "High Tide Of The Confederacy" occurred the following day, July 3th, the immortal day of "Pickett’s Charge."

Monday, August 24, 2009

BLACKSHEAR GUARDS

MUSTER ROLL OF
CAPTAIN THOMAS M. YOPP’S COMPANY
GEORGIA VOLUNTEERS
BLACKSHEAR GUARDS
IN THE 14TH REGULAR REGIMENT

Commanded by Col. A.V. Bumbry, Lt. Col. W.S. Ramsay, and Major Felix Price and called into service of the Confederate States in the provisional army under the provision of an act of Congress passed May the 8th, 1861 from the 23rd day of July, 1861 for the term of the war unless sooner discharged. All the members of the company were residents of Laurens County. Georgia. Lieut. Col. W.S. Ramsay, who was captain of the company when it left and was elected Lieut Colonel of the regiment at Atlanta, Ga on the 16th of July, 1861. The company left Atlanta, Georgia on the 18th day of July 1861 for Lynchburg, Virginia when they were mustered into service. Colonel Ramsay resigned, August 15th, 1861.


No. of Names Rank Age Remarks
each Present and absent

Grade

Thomas M. Yopp Capt. 33 Resigned Sept. 5th, 1861, Cause: Surgeon’s certificate of disability
Thomas H. Rowe 1st Lt. 21 Was not mustered into service
James T. Chappell 2nd Lt. absent
Hardy B. Smith 3rd Lt. 19
Henry Currell 1st Sgt. 17
James Stevens 2nd Sgt. 20 Died in Huntersville, Va. Oct. 10th, 1861
Richard H. Duncan 3rd Sgt. 18 Discharged on Surgeon’s
certificate of disability, Aug. 25th, 1861
Louis C. Perry 4th Sgt. 19
Richard D. Davis 1st Cpl. 19 Died in Huntersville, Va. Nov. 1861
Irwin Calhoun 2nd Cpl. 44
James C. Lee 3rd Cpl. 23
Littleton C. Jenkins 4th Cpl. 20
Benjamin Atkinson Pvt. 22
William Berryhill Pvt. 19
Andrew Berryhill Pvt. 33 Discharged Surgeon’s certificate of disability, Nov. 1861
Osborne Beals Pvt. 18
David J. Bush Pvt. 17
Hardy Bellflower Pvt. 22
Green W. Bristle Pvt. 29 Died in Western Virginia, Nov. 1861
John Bates Pvt. 19
George W. Conner Pvt. 20 Died in Staunton, Va. 1861or 1862
John Coleman Pvt. 20
George Couley Pvt. 27 Died in Rock Alum Springs, Va.
Caswell W. Davis Pvt. 24
Thomas R. Dickson Pvt. 24
John J. Dominy Pvt. 28
Benjamin Dominy Pvt. 19
Valentine J. Fullford Pvt. 24
Frances C. Fullford Pvt. 21
Alkania Faulk Pvt. 22
William G.B. Faulk Pvt. 18
Thomas Gates Pvt. 27 Was not mustered into service
Ebenezer Hilliard Pvt. 21
George W. Hendricks Pvt. 20
Joel G. Hall Pvt. 20
Hollingsworth, Green B. Pvt. 32
Hill, Robert F. Pvt. 24
Jonathan G. Hall Pvt. 35
William G. Hall Pvt. 22
Quinn L. Harvard Pvt. Absent, was not mustered into service
Jenkins, George W. Pvt. 16
John W. Jones Pvt. 21
William L. Jones Pvt. 17
Lumpkin L. Linder Pvt. 19 Died in Huntersville, Va., Oct. 1861
Benjamin B. Linder Pvt. 17 Promoted to 1st Corp. Dec.61
Francis A. Linder Pvt. 19
Amos L. Moore Pvt. 23
Andrew Moore Pvt. 21
R.H.C. McLendon Pvt. 18
John McDaniel Pvt. 21
Dennis McLendon Pvt. 22
McVay, George W. Pvt. 22 Died in Huntersville, Va. Aug. 1861
Robert Nobles Pvt. 23
Terrell Perry Pvt. 24
Daniel G. Pope Pvt. Absent sick, was not mustered into service. Afterwards enlisted into service with reserves of Laurens Co., which discharged from
John T. Perry Pvt. 19
William J. Perry Pvt. 18
William C. Robinson Pvt. 32
Thomas P. Register Pvt. 24
John Register Pvt. 18
David Register Pvt. 16
Elijah F. Register Pvt. 26
Washington Register Pvt. 17
William Register Pvt. 18
James L. Register Pvt. 28 Died in Huntersville, Va. Oct. 9th, 1861
George W. Rowland Pvt. 45(40)
J.F.L. Scarborough Pvt. 16
Thomas D. Smith Pvt. 22 Appointed 2nd Sergeant
David L. Scarborough Pvt. 24
M.V.B. Smith Pvt. 22
James W. Stanley Pvt. 31 Appointed 3rd Sergeant, Dec.3 1861
Emory Smith Pvt. 22
William H. Smith Pvt. 20
Hardy M. Stanley Pvt. 19
Henry Smith Pvt. 19
Hardy B. Stanley Pvt. Absent was not mustered into service
E.H. Thompson Pvt. Absent, mustered into service and died at Richmond, Va., Dec. 1861
James A. Williams Pvt. 21
E.Y. Woodard Pvt. 21
P.W. Douglass 1st Lt. 33 Elected to fill the vacancy of T.H. Rowe, resigned.




List of the names of the men who left Laurens County, Georgia, May 24, 1861 and joined Capt. O.C. Horne’s Company of Georgia Rangers of Pulaski County, Georgia, and which company formed a part of the 10th Georgia Regiment, Georgia Volunteers and are now stationed at Williamsburg, Virginia, August 4, 1861


Peyton W. Douglas Elected 3rd Lieutenant, resigned about the 1st Sept., 1861 and elected
1st Lieutenant, Co. H., Blackshear Guards.
Richard E. Hudson
David M. Roberts
Thomas Moore
Augustus C. Whitehead
Malcom J. Coneley Discharged 1st September, 1861
John J. Stanley
Josey Coleman
Charles Mason
Charles W. Linder
James E. Scarborough

Thursday, August 20, 2009

RECENT DEATHS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS

Confederate Veterans who have recently died.
L.L. Raffield - 8th Georgia Calvary
John T. Rogers - Richmond Artillery
Jeff Register - Co. H. 63rd Georgia
Elijah Sheppard - Co. H. 63rd Georgia
W.L. Strickland - Garrard Light Infantry
W.J. Scarborough - Garrard Light Infantry
J.R. Sheppard - Co. H. 63rd Georgia
D.E. Sullivan - Co. G. 1st Louisiana
M.E. Vason - Co. E. 4th Georgia
J.F. Walker - Co. K. 49th Georgia
J.S. Bryant - Co. C. 49th Georgia
F.D. Beall - Co. D. 63rd Georgia
J.A. Beatty - Co. E. 28th Georgia
W.A. Brack - Co. B. 10th Georgia Battallion
G.W. Bishop - Co. I. 57th Georgia
J.L. Cowart - Co. D. 57th Georgia
Green B. Daniel - Co. I. 57th Georgia
T.L. Daniel - Co. G. 49th Georgia
S.A. Fleetwood - Co. B. 57th Georgia
J.T. Flanders - Co. C. 57th Georgia
William Gilbert - Co. I. 57th Georgia
Mercer Haynes - 5th Georgia Calvary
A.J. McCraken - Macon Light Infantry
W.J. Perry - Co. H. 14th Georgia

April 28, 1905, Dublin Courier Dispatch

Membership Roll of Veteran's Association of Laurens County, 1901

Hardy Smith, Commander
T.D. Smith, Secretary

Branch, Isham
Johnson, J.C.
Bracewell, N.B.W.
Johnson, Morgan
Butler, M.J.
Jackson, W.R.
Barnes, W.H.
Kea, Bennett
Barnett, J.W.
Keen, John L.
Bates, J.D.
Lowery, H.R.
Black, Seaborn
Long, W.H.
Brantley, B.D.
McCullars, J.J.
Barwick, W.J.
Morris, G.W.
Bush, C.G.
McDaniel, J.R.
Bryant, J.S.
McLaws, A.H. (Editors note: Brother of Gen. Lafayette McLaws)
Coleman, E.J.
Maxwell, J.H.
Crumpton, J.E.
McConnell, L.S.
Clements, W.J.
Marchman, C.H.
Corbin, W.C.
McDowell, J.W.
Cullen, J.E.
Miller, R.E.
Cook, W.J.
Mullis, J.M.
Clements, D.G.
Nelson, Floyd
Downing, N.A.
Nance, B.
Dixon, T.D.
Oxley, Jas.
Davis, K.
Pope, B.F.
Dominey, Benj.
Parker, W.F.
Daley, W.J.
Payne, Solomon
Emswyler, E.H.
Page, J.H.
Elliott, J.T.
Pope, J.
Evans, B.W.
Pope, T.H.
Floyd, J.T.
Pharris, J.I.
Graham, J.C.
Robinson, E.A.
Gay, N.F.
Radford, J.G.
Green, John W.
Register, Elijah
Green, G.F.
Rozar, A.J.
Hall, J.M.B.
Stubbs, J.M.
Harville, G.W.
Swinson, S.W.
Hilbun, I.H.
Scarborough, J.F.L.
Howell, W.D.
Scarborough, Wm.
Hilbun, A.J.
Smith, G.H.
Hatfield, J.T.
Smith, W.F.
Hester, W.R.
Spivey, W.D.
Holmes, C.W.
Silas, J.F.
Hernon, J.W.
Sheppard, J.R.
Heath, M.D.
Stewart, W.R.
Jones, M.L.
Sterling, R.
Justice, S.B.
Tarpley, T.M.
Jones, H.T.
Trice, J.M.
Johnson, B.I.
Ussery, J.T.
Johnson, C.J.
Vaughn, John
Cauley, W.H.
Moore, Andy

Published in Dublin Courier Dispatch, March 14, 1901

SONS OF VETERANS ORGANIZE


A Charter has been applied for from the State Organization.


Tuesday afternoon last a number of young men of the city met at the courthouse for the purpose of organizing a camp of United Sons of Confederate Veterans. The camp was organized with 36 charter members. Maj. T. D. Smith, who was very active in getting the camp organized, was made an honorary member.

A charter has been applied for from the state organization, and as soon as it is secured a permanent organization will be effected. The camp was named for the late Geo. M. Troup.

The following are temporary officers.

Commander - C.A. Weddington
1st Vice Commander - J.E. Burch
2nd Vice Commander - J.H. Bradley
Adjutant - S.B. Baker
Chaplain - W.C. Solomon
Quartermaster - M.R. Rachels
Color Bearer - C.L. Webb
Treasurer - L.V. Stone

Published in Dublin Courier Dispatch, March 28, 1901.
Secretary - Hardy Smith, Jr.

Monday, August 17, 2009

CONFEDERATE REUNION AT DUBLIN IS SUCCESS

Dublin, Ga. - Sept. 15, 1910- The big Confederate reunion and barbeque today was a big success. There was a goodly number of veterans and others from Laurens and adjoining counties present.

Laurens furnished six war companies. The remnants of these were formed, and were commanded by Judge John H. Martin, of Hawkinsville, who was elected colonel.

His staff was as follows:

Adjutant and chief of staff, W.C. Davis
Aide and officer of the day, L.Q. Stubbs
Aides, T.D. Smith and K.J. Hawkins
Couriers, Lytton Stanley and Mirabeau Arnau

The parade was formed around the courthouse square and marched down Jackson Street to Church and out Church to Stubb's Park.

The exercises at the park were opened with prayer by Rev. Lucius J. Ballard, presiding elder of the Dublin District. C.A. Weddington, Esq. was master of ceremonies. The main address was delivered by Mayor L.Q. Stubbs.

The following were the war companies furnished by Laurens:

Company C, Fifty-seventh Georgia - Lucien Q. Tucker, captain; Richard A. Kellam, first lieutenant; Washington Hobbs, second lieutenant; Alford L. Morgan, third lieutenant.

Laurens Volunteers - James T. Chappell, captain; James A. Daniel, first lieutenant; Richard H. Duncan, second lieutenant

Troup Volunteers - James H. Smith, captain; Virgil C. Manning, first lieutenant; John L. Perry, second lieutenant; W.B.F. Daniel, second lieutenant.

Blackshear Guards - W.S. Ramsay, captain; Thomas M. Yopp, first lieutenant; Thomas H. Rowe, second lieutenant; Hardy Smith, third lieutenant.

Barkaloo Rifles - George W. Bishop, captain; Leven J.H. Vinson; first lieutenant; John B. Wolfe, second lieutenant; Archibald J. Smith, third lieutenant.

Company A, Second Georgia - Rollin A. Stanley, captain; Thomas H. Rower, first lieutenant; William A. Gainey, second lieutenant; William B. Poppe, third lieutenant.

As the rolls were called this morning and the word "dead" placed after the names it was seen how thin has grown the ranks of those who went from Laurens to the war.

The music for the reunion was furnished by the Dublin band. There was pleanty to eat and all of the old soldiers seemed to enjoy the day very much.

It is probable that the Sixteenth district will be divided into an association and an annual reunion of the old soldiers of Laurens, Johnson and Emanuel held in Dublin every year.

Major Thomas D. Smith was the prime mover of the reunion today and is working up the district organization.

Published in the Macon Telegraph on September 16, 1910.

VETERANS ELECT OFFICERS

Dublin, Ga. January 23, 1905 - The members of Camp Smith, United Confederate Veterans, have elected the following officers for the ensuing year.

Commander, Hardy Smith
First Lieutenant Commander, L.A. Matthews
Second Lieutenant Commander, J.L. Gufford
Third Lieutenant Commander, W.E. Duncan
Adjutant, T.D. Smith
Quartermaster, W.B.F. Daniel
Commisary, L.A. Dreyer
Surgeon, T.H. Hall
Chaplain, W.J. Thomas
Treasurer, G.W. Brooks
Sergeant Major, R.D. Dixon
Officer of the Day, J.A. Thomas
Vidette, J.W. Raffield
Color Bearer, J.W. Jones
First Color Guard, B.F. Dixon
Second Color Guard, B.J. Wood

Published in the Macon Telegraph, January 24, 1905

BLACKSHEAR GUARDS WILL HOLD REUNION

Twenty Survivors of Famous Laurens County Confederate Company Will Enjoy Four Days' Outing Next Week

___________________________________________


Dublin, Ga. - Sept. 12, 1911 - The Blackshear Guards was the first company that left Laurens County for the war. There are twenty survivors of that company and Major T.D. Smith and Gen. Hardy Smith are planning to be hosts at a reunion on October 4 that will last for four days.

It is the plan to use tents and camp out at the point on Turkey Creek near Blue Water Church, where the W&T Railroad bridge is located. Fishing there is fine and the old survivors can fish to their heart's content, swap yarns, go over the causes which led up to the war, the incidents that happened during the war and relate their experience since the war.

The following are survivors, present address, and the position held with the company when it was mustered into service.

Captain Thomas M. Yopp, Atlanta
Lieutenant Hardy Smith, Dublin
Lieutentant P.W. Douglas, Atlanta
Sergeant Major T.D. Smith, Dublin
Sergeant J.W. Jones, Brewton
Private J.D. Bates, Rentz
Private T.R. Dixon, RFD Dublin
Private Elijah Coleman, RFD 4 Dublin
Private Benjamin Dominy, RFD Statesboro
Private Jack Hall, Florida
Private D.J. Bush, RFD Sparta
Private G.W. Jenkins, Dublin
Private L.C. Jenkins, RFD Dublin
Private R.H.C. McLendon, RFD Dublin
Private John R. McDaniel, RFD Dexter
Private T.P. Register, Lake Butler, Florida
Private Terrell Perry, RFD Dublin
Private J.F.L. Scarborough, RFD Dublin
Private Frank Fullford, RFD Stillmore
Private M.V. Smith, RFD Dexter

Published in the Macon Telegraph, September 13, 1911.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

THE DAY THE PRESIDENT CAME TO TOWN


Jefferson Davis, President
of the Confederate States of
America.


Varina Davis


The Passage of Confederate President Jefferson
Davis through Laurens County




April of 1865 saw the end of the bloodiest and most divisive four years in American History. Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet fled Richmond one week before General Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Davis's plan called for an escape to Texas where the remaining Confederate forces would combine to fight a guerilla type war against the North.

Jefferson Davis arrived on May 4th in Washington, Ga. where the Confederate Cabinet held its last session. Davis and his family headed in two different directions. The main party paused at Warthen and went south to Sandersville around noon on the 6th of May. Acting Confederate Treasury Secretary John Reagan transacted the last business of the Confederacy in Sandersville. Davis moved on toward the Oconee River in the area east of Ball's Ferry, with the intentions of camping there for the night. Shortly after their arrival at Ball's Ferry on the Irwinton to Wrightsville Road, President Davis and his escorts learned of a plan to attack the wagon train of Mrs. Davis which was pressing southward on a converging path.


John Regan, Postmaster General of
the Confederate States of America.

Fearing for his family's safety, Davis pressed south along the river road. Whenever possible they had to travel off the edge of the road in order to hide their trail and prevent visual observation. After several hours of difficult travel through thick pine woods Davis and his party arrived just before dawn in the Mt. Pleasant and Frog Level communities, near the Laurens County home of E.J. Blackshear. To their sheer delight Mrs. Davis, the children, and the rest of the party arrived at the Blackshear home earlier that evening. After a short reunion, the Davis family had breakfast and then made their plans to resume their journey. By then, they knew that Union forces would not be far behind.

The Union Army had already begun to search for Jefferson Davis. The best cavalry regiment was selected to proceed east toward Dublin where they would cross the Oconee River and hopefully pick up the trail of Davis's wagon train. Davis's train of light wagons and ambulances crossed at the Dublin ferry early on the morning of the seventh of May. From there they proceeded into the center of town. As was the case of his previous traveling habits, Jefferson Davis traveled separately from the train. He crossed below the Dublin Ferry mounted on a fine bay horse. Davis then proceeded to the southeastern edge of town. Davis never came into town but remained in the area now bounded on the north by Madison Street, east by Decatur Street, south by the railroad, and west by South Franklin Street.

The wagon train pulled into Dublin late Sunday morning. In those days, Dublin was a small village which had practically died out during the war. A Confederate officer dismounted and approached the store of Freeman H. Rowe. Freeman Rowe, a native of Connecticut, operated his mercantile store on the southwest corner of the courthouse square in the spot where the Hicks Building now stands. Rowe, who had been in Dublin nearly twenty years, advised the officer of the terrain and roads in the county. He advised the party to proceed south down the Jacksonville Road, which is today known as the Glenwood Road. While the party was stopped, the Davis's carriage driver, John Davis, noticed a young black girl, Della Conway, approaching him. After the eventual capture of Jefferson Davis, John Davis would return to Laurens County where he would find and marry Della Conway. They would live in Laurens County for forty years before moving to Dodge County where they lived the rest of their lives. Mr. Rowe extended an invitation to Davis to dine at his house at the southwest corner of Rowe Street and Academy Avenue. Owing to the necessity of pressing on, the officer graciously declined the invitation, but he did accept freshly cooked food from the Rowe kitchen.

A detail was sent down to the President to advise him of the direction of travel. They joined Davis a few miles south of town and proceeded down toward Turkey Creek. The wagon train first started down the Jacksonville Road (Georgia Highway 19) but shortly moved over to the Telfair Road (U.S. Highway 441). According to the maps of the Union Army Corps of Engineers, the Confederates continued on the Telfair Road to a point about where Cedar Grove Crossing is located (U.S. Highway 441 and Georgia Highway 46). From that point, they turned in a more southwesterly direction toward Abbeville on the Ocmulgee River. Shortly after crossing Alligator Creek, Davis and his wagon trains camped for the night in lower Laurens County.



Col. Henry Harden, U.S.A.

As Jefferson Davis was leaving the campsite at the Blackshear Plantation, Col. Harnden and the Wisconsin Cavalry were preparing to leave their campsite in Twiggs County. The cavalry pushed down the Old Macon Road until they came to it’s intersection with the Hawkinsville Road. The crossroads was then and is now known as Thomas Cross Roads. The Hawkinsville Road, also known as the Blackshear Trail or Blackshear's Ferry Road, followed an old Uchee Indian trail from Augusta to southern Alabama. As the Federals were approaching the crossroads, they learned that a contingent of several hundred paroled Confederate cavalry soldiers from General Johnston's army had just passed through there on their way home. This information seemed to be a little alarming to Col. Harnden because the men were mounted and as a precautionary measure he sent Lieutenant Orson P. Clinton and twenty men southwest to Laurens Hill on the Hawkinsville Road to reconnoiter that area. During the war, Laurens Hill had been the location of a Confederate commissary of arms and supplies.

Lt. Harnden turned left on the Hawkinsville Road and proceeded to the ferry where he arrived at 5:00 o'clock in the evening of May 7th. It was just north of the ferry where Davis had camped the night before. Lt. Clinton and his patrol arrived at the ferry about eleven o'clock. About midnight a Negro man walked into camp. He told Col. Harnden that Davis and his family passed through the town that day and went south down the River Road. The number of wagons counted was only six. He confirmed their identity by stating that he heard the lady addressed as Mrs. Davis and the man addressed as President Davis. He also confirmed that another party went down the opposite side of the river. This party could have been a patrol or could have been Confederate General and former Vice Pres. of the U.S., John C. Breckinridge, who was following Jefferson Davis. Gen. Breckinridge barely escaped capture in Laurens Co. and hid out in Telfair Co. for a few days. He later escaped to England. The man also confirmed that the President did not cross at the ferry, but took a flat boat across the ferry three miles or so down the river. This would put his crossing in the area of the Dublin Ferry. The man finally told the cavalry that Jefferson Davis did not come into the town but remained on the outskirts.



John C. Breckinridge, Vice President
United States of America, General
Confederate States Army

While the two Union regiments were violently bringing the search for Davis to an end, the actual capture of Jefferson Davis was peaceful. At the instant the firing on the north side of the creek began, the Michigan Cavalry charged through the Davis's campsite. Davis gave himself up when he felt his wife was being threatened. The Confederates were arrested and taken to Macon. From Macon, Jefferson Davis was sent to Fortress Monroe Prison in Virginia.

While the southern half of Middle Georgia escaped the ravages of battle, it was the site of the last major event of Civil War. The most critical event in the capture occurred in Dublin, where the Wisconsin Cavalry first learned of Davis's route. If Col. Harnden had been here a day earlier, then the capture would have been made in Laurens County. If he been delayed by a couple of days, the capture may have never occurred.

_________________

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

CAPTAIN HARDY SMITH


Captain Hardy B. Smith, C.S.A.




Home of Hardy Smith,
West Gaines Street,
Dublin, Georgia



A Hero for All Generations


Of all of the Laurens County veterans, Hardy Beacham Smith is the epitome of a soldier overcoming the ravages of war. Hardy, the grandson of an American Revolutionary soldier by the same name, was born in the Anderson community on October 24, 1841. His father, the second Hardy Smith, married Ann Anderson, daughter of John G. Anderson. Anderson's plantation was located on the Old River Road across Pughes Creek from Gov. George M. Troup's Valdosta Plantation.

Laurens County schools couldn't provide Hardy Smith with a superior education. Hardy Smith enrolled in an academy at Irwinton, Georgia in 1858. Hardy's father reluctantly agreed to allow his son to take a music class. The senior Smith encouraged young Hardy to join the Light Horse military company at Irwinton. In those days service in the local militia was seen as a public duty, especially for young men of higher means. Military service was also seen as a stepping stone to political office.

The state of Georgia voted to secede from the Union in January of 1861. If Hardy Smith had been a typical Laurens Countian, he would have voted to cooperate with the Union on the issue of slavery and avoid secession and war. At the beginning of the inevitable war Hardy was attending classes at the University of Georgia. He joined a volunteer company. Three weeks after the first shots were fired at Fort Sumpter, Hardy Smith received a letter from his father requesting that he come home and enlist in the Blackshear Guards. The Guards were in the early stages of organization. All the best young men were joining the company. Hardy's father was sincere. Fifty dollars was enclosed in the letter to pay his boy's accounts and his way home.

The Blackshear Guards became a part of the Confederate army on July 9, 1861. Hardy Smith was elected 1st Sergeant. W.S. Ramsay was elected Captain. When Captain Ramsay accepted a position as Lieutenant Colonel of the Regiment, Smith was promoted to Junior Second Lieutenant. The Blackshear Guards, designated as Company H of the 14th Georgia Infantry, were assigned to army of John B. Floyd. The Guards spent the remainder of the year in western Virginia engaging in little or no action. The Battle of Seven Pines on May 31, 1862 was their first major engagement. Following the disaster at Seven Pines, Robert E. Lee was appointed to the command of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Lee decided to attack McLellan's forces near the tiny village of Mechanicsville, Virginia. Shortly after arriving at the Beaverdam Creek, the order for a late afternoon attack came. Col. E.L. Thomas led the 35th Georgia in the initial attack on the Federal right. The 14th Georgia rushed to his support. Col. R.W. Folsom got up from his sick bed to lead the 14th Georgia. The creek was waist deep and about fifteen to twenty feet wide. When the attack first began, the Confederates had woods and thickets to cover their advance. Those in the open fields were pounded with sweeping artillery fire. Once they came down the steep banks toward the creek, they were in full view of Federal riflemen. Every assault was repulsed by the Federal forces. Under heavy fire the Guards were forced to retire. When it was all over, Lt. Smith was in a field hospital. His elbow was torn into pieces. There was no hope to save his right arm. Lt. Smith was comforted by reading his "Book of Common Prayer." Blood from Smith's wounds dripped on the pages. He turned to Psalm 56 which in part read "Mine enemies are daily at hand and swallow me up ... for they be many that fight against me ... though I am afraid, I will trust in thee." The book remains in the possession of his family. Four weeks after his arm was amputated, Lt. Smith wrote with a letter with his left hand. The despondent officer seemed to apologize to his father for losing his arm, but was glad to be alive.

Lt. Smith returned to duty as soon as he could. The company missed most of the major battles from September of 1862 to the Battle of Gettysburg, where they were only slightly engaged. The Guards were heavily involved in Robert E. Lee's greatest victory at Chancelorsville, Virginia in May of 1863. Hardy B. Smith was elected Captain of the company on September 17, 1863. Capt. Smith resigned his commission on April 30, 1864, just days before the Grant's push toward Richmond at the Wilderness. Capt. Smith continued to serve his state as the 5th District enrolling officer until the end of the war.

After the war times were bad, really bad. There was little food and even less money. In the year after the war, Smith was elected to the position of Clerk of Superior Court. Smith served as Clerk for 27 years until 1893. Hardy Smith married his bride, Ella Few Douglas, on November 21, 1867. That same year Ella Smith her mother Phoebe Douglas, and her sister Eugenia Walker were among the seven women who founded the First Methodist Church.

Hardy Smith built a southern gothic style house near the edge of the struggling town of Dublin in the early 1870s. When Dublin needed a railroad, Smith invested in the M.D. and S. railroad serving as secretary and treasurer. An active member of his church, he donated land next to his house to build a church in 1887. Following the death of Judge John T. Duncan, Smith was elected as Judge of the Court of Ordinary, serving one term which ended in 1897. After leaving public office, Smith's thoughts returned to his fellow veterans. He organized a camp of United Confederate Veterans, which was named in his honor. In the last years of his life, Capt. Smith served as Commander of the Eastern Division of Georgia. Hardy Smith died in his bedroom on Dec. 6, 1912. He is buried in Northview Cemetery. Hardy Smith is a hero, not because of the cause he fought for and not because he lost an arm. His accomplishments off the battlefield and his devotion to his family, his church, and his community make him a hero for all generations. Today, concerned citizens of Dublin are seeking to restore Captain Smith's home as a memorial to veterans of all of our country's wars.